Bills that are passed and considered by the Governor after the adjournment of legislative session can either be signed into law or “pocket vetoed” in which the Governor takes no action and the bill expires.

On January 15, his last full day in office, Governor Christie took such action on 159 bills; signing 109 of them into law and pocket vetoing 50. A recap and summary of action taken on bills of municipal interest, with sponsors noted, are listed below.

Bills Signed Into Law

S-294/A-2430, Vitale, Turner, Conaway, McGuckin, Wolfe, Benson, McKnight, Jimenez, and Sumter. This legislation requires anyone administered opioid antidote to treat drug overdose be provided with information concerning substance treatment programs and resources by either the first responder, including police, or healthcare facility. This law will take on May 1, 2018, except that the Commissioner of Human Services may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this law.

S-713/A-3977, Cruz-Perez, Van Drew/Mazzeo, Lagana, Mukherji, Holley, and Downey. This legislation adds US Armed Forces and the Reserves members to those protected under existing protections against interference with their employment, trade or business. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

S-848/A-5339, Stack, Oroho, Mukherji, and Chaparro. This bill requires State oversight of budgets of regional sewerage authorities in a similar manner to municipal budgets. The League supported the amended legislation and thanks the sponsors for addressing our concerns. This law took effect on January 15, 2018, and is applicable the following budget year.

S-2180, Gordon, A.R. Bucco, Vainieri Huttle, Singleton, A.M. Bucco, Houghtaling. This bill, the “New Jersey Rural Electric Cooperative Act” was supported by the League. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

S-2978/A-4404, Beach, Cruz-Perez, Greenwald, permits local units and school districts to invest in local government investment pools managed in accordance with applicable Governmental Accounting Standards Board guidelines. The League supported this legislation, which was necessary to accommodate the GASB regulatory changes. This law took effect January 15, 2018.

S-3233/A-1425, Van Drew, Oroho, Johnson, Wimberly, Pintor Marin, Wisniewski. Modifies performance and maintenance guarantee requirements under “Municipal Land Use Law.” This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

S-3370/A-5205, Sarlo, Quijano, Bramnick, Mazzeo, Mukherji, and Benson. This legislation regulates and prohibits certain operation of drones. The League supported this bill. This law will take effect on May 1, 2018.

S-3409/A-5071 Gordon, A.R. Bucco/Vainieri Huttle, Singleton, A.M. Bucco, and Houghtaling. This legislation establishes standardized changed condition clauses for local public construction contracts. For more information please click here for our recent blog post. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

S-3449/A-5211, Bell, Van Drew, Mazzeo, Mukherji, Jimenez, McKnight, Wimberly, and Downey. This bill allows counties to prioritize county homelessness trust fund grants for homeless veterans. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

S-3459/A-5329, Sarlo, Gordon/Burzichelli, Quijano, Lagana. This legislation exempts law enforcement officers and certain private property towing companies from certain provisions of “Predatory Towing Prevention Act”. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

S-3521/A-5194, Gordon, Oroho/Eustace, Rooney, Holley, and Wisniewski. This bill allows expanded use of recycled asphalt pavement. This law will take effect on October 1, 2018, except the Commissioner of Environmental Protection may take any anticipatory action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this law.

S-3558/ A-5231, Lesniak, Cruz-Perez, Sacco/ Benson, Vainieri Huttle, DiMaio. This bill revises animal cruelty law enforcement in NJ. This law will take effect on February 1, 2019, except that sections 26 and 29 of this bill will take effect on August 1, 2018; sections 33 and 34 of this bill took effect immediately on January 15, 2018, and the Attorney General and any county prosecutor or governing body of a municipality may take any administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this law.

S-3620/A-5322, Cunningham/Mukherji. This legislation changes PERS membership eligibility for certain elected public officials and provides for PERS re-enrollment. This law took effect immediately. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

SJR-23/AJR-47, Vitale, Oroho, Wisniewski, Pinkin, Coughlin. This bill establishes a task force to study and make recommendations concerning stabilization and growth of volunteer first responder community. The League supported this bill. This joint resolution took effect on January 15, 2018, and will expire upon submission of the task force’s final report to the Governor and Legislature.

A-3150/S-1622. Land, Andrzejczak, Webber, Houghtaling, Mazzeo, Danielsen/Van Drew, Cruz-Perez. This bill authorizes veterans property tax exemption for totally disabled veterans who did not serve in theater of war. While we appreciate the intent of the bill, the League opposed this bill because the State will not provide appropriate funding. Instead, this exemption will displace the tax burden to other taxpayers in the community. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

A-3466/S-1278, Coughlin, Downey, Webber, Mukherji, Phoebus, McKnight, Singleton, Benson, Space/Vitale, Oroho – Revises application deadline for homestead property tax reimbursement program from July 1 to beginning April 1 and ending October 31 of the year following the year for which the claim is being made. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

A-4464/S-2787, Land, Andrzejczak, Van Drew, and Madden. This bill permits the conduct of punch-board games under raffle license. This law took effect on January 15, 2018.

For the following bills, Governor Christie took no action, i.e, “pocket vetoed.”

S-2107/A-536, Sarlo, T. Kean/Schepisi, A.M. Bucco, Auth, Danielsen, and DiMaio. The League strongly supported this common-sense initiative. The bill provided that a PERS or PFRS member who continues to be volunteer firefighter or emergency services worker after retirement with an employer from whom member retires has bona fide severance for compliance with State and federal law. While well intended the Division of Pensions has created an unintended consequence which, if not changed, will impact every public employee who volunteers in the state and will not only drive up property taxes but would also reduce the quality and level of essential public services.

S-2469/ A-1115, Sweeney, Rice, Weinberg, Cunningham, Oliver, Conaway, Tucker, Sumter, Holley, and Wimberly. This legislation would have required the Attorney General to handle the investigation and prosecution of crime involving person’s death by law enforcement officer while acting in officer’s official capacity or while in custody and require trial in venue outside county where incident occurred.

S-3499/A-5250, Rice, T. Kean/Greenwald, and Burzichelli. The League supported this legislation which would have authorized certain local government utilities to impose additional connection fees.

A-191/S-2313, Caputo, Tucker, Quijano, Vainieri Huttle, Sumter, McKnight/Rice, and Ruiz. This bill would have required school buildings to be equipped with emergency light and panic alarm linked to local law enforcement.

A-2220/S-1729, Benson, Webber, Singleton, Wimberly and Oroho, Bell. The bill would have authorized local units of government subject to “Local Public Contracts Law” and “Public School Contracts Law” to use electronic procurement technologies. The League supported this bill.

A-3105/S-3004, Caputo, Tucker, Wimberly, Codey, and Rice. This bill would have provided that limitation on hours of retail sale of alcohol be consistent throughout licensed premises

A-3612/S-2118, Greenwald, Lampitt, Mosquera, Holley, Benson, Downey/Beach, Cruz-Perez. Jake’s Law, which was intended to provide incentivizes for counties to design and construct completely inclusive playgrounds as a priority for State funding for recreational and conservation purposes. The League initially opposed this legislation but along with the Association of Counties, worked with the sponsors to satisfactorily address our concerns.

A-3783/S-2408, Zwicker, Benson, Barclay/Greenstein, Bateman. This legislation would have allowed county and municipal police departments to establish designated safe areas for Internet purchase transactions and establish a public awareness campaign. The League supported this permissive legislation.

A-4814/S-3487, Rooney, Johnson, Schaer, Moriarty/Allen, Beach. This bill would have prohibited investment of pension and annuity funds by the State in entities that avoid Superfund obligations.